Tiruchanda Viruttam 41 · verse 792 of the four thousand
Meaning
As a cowherd You longed for the bamboo-smooth shoulders of the cowherd girl. Who is able to know You, who are of the heavens and of this world too? Is this a wonder upon wonders? More than that, all that You shape You have made a wonder upon wonders. All Your wonder is wonder through and through.
Word by word
- āyar-maṅkai
- the cowherd girl
- vēya tōḷ
- shoulders smooth as bamboo
- amparattoṭu imparāy
- of the heavens and of this world
- māya māya māyai kol
- is it a wonder upon wonders?
- nī vakuttalum
- what You shape
- māyam muṟṟum māyamē
- all Your wonder is wonder
Tiruchanda Viruttam 42 · verse 793 of the four thousand
Meaning
There is one of strange, reddish form, smeared with ash, who keeps a slender crescent moon in his matted locks. Into the hard skull fixed in his hand You poured red blood until it was full. O Lord who went and subdued the bulls, tell us the reason for it, without holding back.
Word by word
- cekkar mēṉi
- a reddish form
- nīṟu aṇinta puṉcaṭaik
- smeared with ash, with matted locks
- kīṟu tiṅkaḷ
- a slender crescent moon
- vaṉkapāl
- the hard skull
- ceṅ kurutiyāl niṟaitta
- filled with red blood
- ēṟu ceṉṟu aṭartta īca
- O Lord who went and subdued the bulls
- kūcam iṉṟiyē
- without holding back
Tiruchanda Viruttam 43 · verse 794 of the four thousand
Meaning
You broke the white tusk of the fiercely raging elephant, crushed the great Kamsa who flared at You, and with Your foot measured out the earth. You drew out the life of the demoness who came in deceit, along with her milk. Are You not the first God whose colour is that of dark collyrium?
Word by word
- veñciṉatta vēḻa
- the fiercely raging elephant
- kañcaṉaik kaṭintu
- crushing Kamsa
- maṇ aḷantukoṇṭa kālaṉē
- O One whose foot measured the earth
- vañcaṉattu vanta pēycci
- the demoness who came in deceit
- pāluḷ vāṅkiṉāy
- You drew out with the milk
- añcaṉatta vaṇṇaṉ
- the One coloured like dark collyrium
Tiruchanda Viruttam 44 · verse 795 of the four thousand
Meaning
The colour of milk, the colour of red gold, a colour like the green face of moss, and the dark blue of the flowers in a lovely pool where the bees break open the buds and roam: You took on these colours, one in each of the four ages. What is this, that the delusion of the world keeps Your nature hidden from it?
Word by word
- pāliṉ nīrmai
- the colour of milk
- cempoṉ nīrmai
- the colour of red gold
- pāciyiṉ pacum puṟam
- the green face of moss
- nīla nīrmai
- a dark blue colour
- kālam nāṉkumāy
- in the four ages
- vaiyakam maṟaittatu
- kept hidden from the world
Tiruchanda Viruttam 45 · verse 796 of the four thousand
Meaning
Are You on the earth? Are You in the heavens? Do You stand within the earth, bewildering all, beyond the reckoning of every reckoner? What a wonder this is! Are You there in the very eyes of Your own people? Or are You far away? O my holy One, lying upon Ananta! O pure One, wearing the garland of tulasi from the fields!
Word by word
- maṇṇuḷāy kol? viṇṇuḷāy kol?
- are You on earth? are You in heaven?
- eṇṇum eṇ akappaṭāy kol
- beyond the reckoning of every reckoner?
- niṉ tamar
- Your own people, Your devotees
- cēyai kol
- are You far away?
- aṉantaṉmēl kiṭanta
- lying upon Ananta, Adisesha
- puṉantuḻāy-alaṅkal
- garland of tulasi from the fields
- puṉitaṉē
- O pure One
Tiruchanda Viruttam 46 · verse 797 of the four thousand
Meaning
O Lord, on whose head sways the cool tulasi garland thick with petals; who holds the conch and bears the discus, and rides the bird with beautiful wings! Though I, lowly as a dog, have no share in the good that the world has gained from You, will You grant me release, and cut away my birth and my death? Tell me.
Word by word
- tōṭu peṟṟa taṇ tuḻāy
- cool tulasi thick with petals
- āṭu ceṉṉiyāy
- O One on whose head it sways
- kōṭu paṟṟi āḻi ēnti
- holding the conch, bearing the discus
- añciṟaip puḷ
- the bird of beautiful wings, Garuda
- nāyiṉēṉ
- I, lowly as a dog
- vīṭu peṟṟu
- gaining release
- iṟappoṭum piṟappu aṟukkumō
- will You cut away my death and birth?
Tiruchanda Viruttam 47 · verse 798 of the four thousand
Meaning
O our Kanna, whose form is like the rain cloud, Lord of the heavens! They say You lie upon the serpent in the waters; and they also say You are not in one place alone, that You have no bounds at all. So tell me: how may I, lowly as a dog, find the place where I may reach You, and bow down?
Word by word
- kāroṭu otta mēṉi
- a form like the rain cloud
- viṇṇiṉ nātaṉē
- O Lord of the heavens
- nīr iṭattu arāvaṇaik kiṭatti
- You lie on the serpent in the waters
- ōr iṭattai allai
- You are not in one place alone
- ellai illai
- You have no bounds
- cērvu-iṭattai
- the place to reach You
- terintu iṟaiñcumā colē
- tell me how to find it and bow
Tiruchanda Viruttam 48 · verse 799 of the four thousand
Meaning
You stand upon the hill, You are seated in heaven, You lie upon the long sea. You went to the earth and measured it; that same earth You swallowed; that same earth You dug up as a boar. In good days long past You created living beings, and then You set gods over them and cared for them. Are You not the first God?
Word by word
- kuṉṟil niṉṟu
- standing on the hill
- vāṉ iruntu
- seated in heaven
- nīḷ kaṭaṟ kiṭantu
- lying on the long sea
- iṭantu paṉṟiyāy
- digging it up as a boar
- nal uyir paṭaittu
- creating living beings
- tēvu amaittu aḷitta
- who set gods over them and cared for them
Tiruchanda Viruttam 49 · verse 800 of the four thousand
Meaning
The Lord who, with a pellet of clay, struck the hump of the hunchbacked woman, whose hair was knotted with a garland full of honey, so that it was driven in, and was glad within: His town is Srirangam of beautiful cool waters, where the stork eats the crabs and moves away, the valai fish leap, and the kendai fish feed close beside the blue lilies.
Word by word
- koṇṭai koṇṭa kōtai
- a garland in her knotted hair
- kūṉi kūṉ
- the hunchbacked woman's hump
- uṇṭai koṇṭu
- with a pellet of clay
- uḷ makiḻnta nātaṉ ūr
- the town of the Lord who was glad within
- naṇṭai uṇṭu nārai pēra
- the stork eats crabs and moves away
- an taṇ nīr araṅkamē
- Srirangam of beautiful cool waters
Tiruchanda Viruttam 50 · verse 801 of the four thousand
Meaning
Long ago, the heroic Rama, whose mighty hand held a strong bow, loosed an arrow so that the dark, white-waved sea turned red and burned. The town where He dwells is Srirangam of lasting glory, fenced by groves humming with bees, whose sacred waters the hosts of all eight directions bow to and bathe in.
Word by word
- veṇ tiraik karuṅ kaṭal
- the dark sea with white waves
- civantu vēva
- turning red and burning
- tiṇ tiṟaṟ cilaikkai
- hand holding a mighty bow
- eṇ ticaik kaṇaṅkaḷum
- the hosts of the eight directions
- āṭu tīrtta nīr
- sacred waters to bathe in
- vaṇṭu iraitta cōlai vēli
- fenced by groves humming with bees
Verse text: the word-separated e-text of the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Project Madurai, checked verse by verse against its second edition. Meanings are simple renderings in the light of the acharyas' commentaries, written for this site, and are awaiting a scholar's review.